Apple A12 Bionic Apple A13 Bionic
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Apple A12 Bionic vs Apple A13 Bionic

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The Apple A12 Bionic and Apple A13 Bionic are mobile processors developed by Apple for their smartphones and tablets.

They aim for high performance and energy efficiency for everyday tasks, demanding apps, and gaming. Both chips are manufactured using a 7 nm process. The Apple A12 Bionic (codename A12) features a 6-core CPU (two high-performance, four efficiency cores) and an integrated Apple graphics unit, 8 MB L2 cache, and 34 GB/s memory bandwidth.

The Apple A13 Bionic (codename A13 Lightning / Thunder) also uses a 6-core CPU with improved high-performance and efficiency cores, as well as a more powerful Apple graphics unit. It also offers 8 MB L2 cache and 34 GB/s memory bandwidth. The Apple A13 Bionic significantly outperforms the Apple A12 Bionic in single-core and multi-core performance due to architectural improvements and higher clock rates, which translates into noticeably faster application execution and multitasking.

In gaming, thanks to its revised graphics unit, the Apple A13 Bionic delivers higher frame rates and a smoother experience than the Apple A12 Bionic. Both processors are designed for high energy efficiency in mobile devices. The Apple A13 Bionic offers more performance with an optimized energy balance.

As permanently integrated components, they do not have separate market prices. Devices with the Apple A13 Bionic are usually newer and more expensive, but offer the highest performance and longer software support. The Apple A12 Bionic remains a good, price-conscious option with solid performance. The Apple A12 Bionic is a solid, energy-efficient chip for daily use.

However, the Apple A13 Bionic offers significantly higher performance in all areas. For maximum speed and demanding use, the Apple A13 Bionic is the better choice. For price-conscious users who still need very good everyday performance, devices with the Apple A12 Bionic are recommended.

Apple A12 Bionic

  • 7 nm manufacturing process
  • Solid performance for everyday tasks
  • Good energy efficiency
  • Price-conscious option

Apple A13 Bionic

  • 7 nm manufacturing process
  • Significantly higher computing and graphics performance
  • Optimized for demanding applications and gaming
  • Offers longer software support

Performance Overview
Average performance across multiple benchmarks

Single-core performance
Rank 2 - 79 %
Apple A12 Bionic
Rank 1 - 100 %
Apple A13 Bionic
Multi-core performance
Rank 2 - 79 %
Apple A12 Bionic
Rank 1 - 100 %
Apple A13 Bionic
Geekbench 6 Single-Core

Geekbench 6 Single-Core
Single-core performance

Apple A12 Bionic
6C / 6T · 2.49 GHz
1,286
Apple A13 Bionic
6C / 6T · 2.65 GHz
1,710
Geekbench 6 Multi-Core

Geekbench 6 Multi-Core
Multi-core performance

Apple A12 Bionic
6C / 6T · 2.49 GHz
2,353
Apple A13 Bionic
6C / 6T · 2.65 GHz
3,599
Geekbench 5, 64bit Single-Core

Geekbench 5, 64bit Single-Core
Single-core performance

Apple A12 Bionic
6C / 6T · 2.49 GHz
1,116
Apple A13 Bionic
6C / 6T · 2.65 GHz
1,336
Geekbench 5, 64bit Multi-Core

Geekbench 5, 64bit Multi-Core
Multi-core performance

Apple A12 Bionic
6C / 6T · 2.49 GHz
2,731
Apple A13 Bionic
6C / 6T · 2.65 GHz
3,429
iGPU - FP32 Performance (Single-precision GFLOPS)

iGPU - FP32 Performance (Single-precision GFLOPS)

Apple A12 Bionic
Apple A12
576
Apple A13 Bionic
Apple A13
691
AnTuTu 8 Benchmark

AnTuTu 8 Benchmark

Apple A12 Bionic
6C / 6T · 2.49 GHz
425,605 pts
Apple A13 Bionic
6C / 6T · 2.65 GHz
523,650 pts
AI performance (NPU)

AI performance (NPU)

Apple A12 Bionic
6C / 6T · 2.49 GHz
5.0 TOPS
Apple A13 Bionic
6C / 6T · 2.65 GHz
6.0 TOPS

More benchmarks

At a glance

Wischen
Apple A12 BionicApple A13 Bionic
FamilyApple A series (27)Apple A series (27)
CPU groupApple A12/A12X/A12Z (3)Apple A13 (1)
ArchitectureA12A13 (Lightning / Thunder)
Technology7 nm7 nm
SegmentSmartphone / TabletSmartphone / Tablet
Socket
PredecessorApple A11 BionicApple A12 Bionic
SuccessorApple A13 BionicApple A14 Bionic

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

Wischen
Apple A12 BionicApple A13 Bionic
CPU Cores / Threads6 / 66 / 6
Hyperthreading / SMT
Core architecturehybrid (big.LITTLE)hybrid (big.LITTLE)
Core Cluster 1: 2x Vortex
2.49 GHz
2x Lightning
2.65 GHz
Core Cluster 2: 4x Tempest
1.59 GHz
4x Thunder
1.80 GHz
L2-Cache8.00 MB8.00 MB
L3-Cache
Overclocking

Integrated graphics (iGPU)

Wischen
Apple A12 BionicApple A13 Bionic
GPU nameApple A12Apple A13
GPU frequency1.13 GHz1.35 GHz
CUs / Shader16 / 25616 / 256
Raytracing
Max. displays11
Max. GPU Memory4 GB4 GB
Technology7 nm7 nm
Release dateQ3/2018Q3/2019

NPU AI performance

Wischen
Apple A12 BionicApple A13 Bionic
AI hardwareApple Neural EngineApple Neural Engine
AI specifications8 Neural cores @ 5 TOPS8 Neural cores @ 6 TOPS
NPU + CPU + iGPU

Memory & PCIe

Wischen
Apple A12 BionicApple A13 Bionic
MemoryLPDDR4X-4266 (34.1 GB/s)
LPDDR4X-4266 (34.1 GB/s)
Max. Memory4 GB4 GB
Memory channels11
ECCNoNo
PCIe
PCIe Bandwidth

Thermal Management

Wischen
Apple A12 BionicApple A13 Bionic
TDP6 W6 W
TDP (PL2)
TDP up
TDP down
T. junction max.

Technical details

Wischen
Apple A12 BionicApple A13 Bionic
Chip designChipletChiplet
AES-NI
Operating systemsiOSiOS
Instruction setArmv8-A (64 bit)Armv8-A (64 bit)
ISA extensions
Release dateQ3/2018Q3/2019
Release price
Documents

Your rating

Here you can rate one or both of the processors. The average rating of Apple A12 Bionic is 3.4 stars (106 ratings), while Apple A13 Bionic has received 3.8 stars (183 ratings).

Click on the stars to rate one or both processors.

Apple A12 Bionic
Apple A12 Bionic
6C / 6T · 2.49 GHz
Apple A13 Bionic
Apple A13 Bionic
6C / 6T · 2.65 GHz

Most popular CPUs in both categories

Apple A12 Bionic
Apple A12 Bionic
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